It won’t be too long until Russellville-area shoppers have a new store to help meet their shopping needs, as an Atwood’s is scheduled to open this spring.

Atwood’s Farm and Ranch Supply will be more accessible to Russellville residents in the near future, and shoppers who favor the store won’t have to drive out of town to visit the popular store.

Brian Atwood said the store’s opening will be sometime during the first two weeks of March — just in time for spring.

“We are excited to be in Russellville,” Atwood said. Plans for a big grand-opening event will be announced.

Currently, customers drive to Clarksville to access all that Atwood’s offers its clientèle. Those who enjoy shopping at the farm and home supply store, and new customers as well, will have the chance to visit it at the old Kroger building on South Arkansas Avenue.

“This will be store No. 52,” Atwood said.

He said business was still going strong in Clarksville and there are no plans to close any of the company’s stores.

His company is always “looking for new markets, and Russellville is a great community with a strong market” for the goods they offer, he said.

Atwood said that the old Kroger building was an adequate facility and the right price. This is important to Atwood because it follows the philosophy imparted by his predecessors: keep costs low and pass the savings on to the customer.

The main idea behind opening a store in Russellville is the community, Atwood said. That is how it all began in Enid, Okla., at the beginning of the 1960s. His said his grandparents’ decision was based on the people and community and not projections of market viability. They based their decision on conversations with “folks on the square,” Atwood said.

The Russellville store will also brings jobs to the area. According to Atwood’s spokesperson Kirk Johnson, the company will hire approximately 35-40 employees.

“We have 10 stores in Arkansas and employ roughly 1,700 people,” Johnson said, adding the company is working with local employment organizations to get the word out: Atwood’s is hiring.

Atwood asserted the store has a niche in the farm and home supply industry. It offers a wide variety of products, from DVDs to live animals.

“Our focus is to provide the best customer service while providing merchandise that customers need,” he said. “We sell pet foods at discount prices and offer multiple lines and brands of footwear and clothing. We also have a huge lawn and garden presence.”

When asked about his concern for his competition, Atwood said, “I won’t say anything derogatory” about other merchants. “Our focus is to compete aggressively and do what we do as a retail store and do the best we can.”